Following the release of a trailer for the third series of Netflix hit The Crown, producers have been forced to defend their decision to portray the Queen as having a strong Australian accent and using the f-word several times.
“It was always our intention for actresses who play Her Majesty to interpret the part as they see fit,” explained Andrew Eaton.
“Claire Foy decided to play the character literally, and Olivia [Coleman] has made the artistic decision to interpret the character as a foul-mouthed Australian.”
“I found it difficult to get under the skin of this woman, this Queen, as a well-to-do woman with some nice dogs,” explained star Coleman.
“However, by using the Australian veneer, I could give free-reign to what I felt would be the emotions and feelings that broil under the surface.”
The trailer introduces the Queen slumped on a tattered sofa surrounded by a number of crushed Castlemaine XXXX cans.
A manservant announces that ex-Prime Minister Winston Churchill has died and the Queen belches and lets forth a string of swear words.
In another scene, we see Britain’s longest serving monarch refer to a corgi as a f*****g little s**t-machine.
“It is an unusual acting choice, but I think if everyone gives it a chance, they’ll see that the interpretation as a fine one,” insisted Eaton.
It is not the first time the Netflix hit has proved controversial, with season one depicting the Queen’s sister Margaret as a superhero and season two having Prime Ministers Eden and Macmillan played by Ant and Dec.
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